


Sleep On It

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Best Friends, Boyfriends, Comfort, Conflict Resolution, Friendship, Gen, Implied Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh, M/M, Pet Names, Protective Craig, Sleepovers, Spoilers, Swearing, bad language, squint for the style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 22:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Being the overprotective boyfriend he is, Craig decides he's had enough of Stan and Kyle bickering and is determined to fix things the Craig way.*Spoilers up to Season 21 and bad language warning.*





	Sleep On It

“Sleep on it.”

Tweek flinched. Did his adorable grumpy bear ask him to ‘ _ sleep on it? _ ’ A frustrated groan emanated from the startled blonde. He seriously couldn’t be  _ that _ naive, could he? The cup of coffee in his trembling hands danced wildly, casting coffee droplets onto the kitchen table they sat at.

“ _ S-Sleep on IT?! _ ” Tweek shrieked, twitching intensified as the stress piled on. “Sleep won’t help! Not now, not EVER! It’s happening AGAIN, C-Craig Bear!”

Ignoring the coffee stains, Craig placed his hands upon Tweek’s to settle them. “Tweek, honey, we talked about this. Nothing will happen to you, I promise.” Only for Tweek did Craig’s voice soften and the affectionate pet names came out. Everyone else got straightforward sass and the middle finger.

And Craig wholeheartedly believed his words. How could he not, feeling much more content since getting together with his little coffee bean? Their Coming Out almost wrapped them both in a warm love-infused blanket from an unseen pantheon.

It felt pretty good.

The Tucker boy patted Tweek’s hand, trying to ground him in the here and now, away from the endless Worse Case Scenario realities plaguing his mind. “Babe? Look at me.”

Nervously, Tweek cast his hazel eyes into the warmest blue pools and that always had a soothing effect on him, albeit momentarily. “Craig…”

“Trust me,” Craig murmured, never backing down. “Everything will work out, and later, sleep on it. If things feel better in the morning, then it’s nothing to worry about, okay?”

Tweek nodded warily, though he still wasn’t entirely convinced. As Craig listened to his boyfriend anxiously chatter away, he realised just how important this sleepover tonight was. For Tweek, for Stripe, for himself and, perhaps, for South Park itself.

It had to work. It just  _ had _ to.

 

x x x

 

Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  _ Why  _ was he invited to this stupid sleepover again? Sure, Craig and Tweek were the classroom sweethearts, with the former really mellowing out these days, but they always stuck with their own circle of friends. The two even set out their sleeping bags, side by side, in the very heart of the basement they were staying in for the night. Outside of a few sticky situations, what did they have in common except staying in South Park?

Weird and wacky South Park?

And Kyle. They hardly spoke these days without taking shots at each other. Once they had been Super Best Friends, taking on the world together and trusting each other complicitly because they sure as hell couldn’t trust the panic-at-a-pindrop adults. Even Cartman routinely ribbed on them for being “the gay couple” in their little group given how close they were, finishing each other’s sentences and having the other boy’s back in times of trouble.

What happened?

As he unpacked his sleeping bag by the staircase, Stan dared a glance towards the corner where his former friend carefully set his own sleeping area by Stripe’s cage, the pet sniffing curiously.

‘Huh,’ Stan thought, observing the pyjamas and sleeping bag that Kyle set out. ‘His Terrance and Phillip stuff is gone.’

Then the Marsh boy went back to his own things, wondering why he cared.

 

Suddenly, Craig spoke, his question breaking the awkward silence that descended since their arrival. It was enough to draw Tweek’s attention away from an auspicious stain of death crawling down the wall, and even little Stripe jumped.

“What are you two doing?”

“...Unpacking?” Stan answered, as if it were totally obvious. Even Kyle’s expression matched the sentiment with a raised eyebrow.

“Nuh-uh,” Craig muttered, already done with this nonsense. The mood since Stan and Kyle arrived was already tense, seeping into every fun thing they all did together since coming to Craig’s house. Seriously, video games were supposed to be fun, but trying to lighten the air with those two being huffy was like drawing teeth. 

Oh well. Craig anticipated the challenge when he invited them. “Get your asses over here.”

“What the Hell?” Kyle snapped, indignantly. “What’s wrong with where I am?”

“Yeah!” Stan barked. “Give me one good reason why I should move?”

_ And be nearby HIM,  _ their expressions suggested.

Craig’s reasons were stated with the same matter of fact delivery as ‘the sky is blue and grass is green.’ To Stan, “Fire hazard.” To Kyle, “Stripe’s nervous.” With a snap of his fingers, Craig pointed to opposing sides of his sleeping nest.

Craig was _ not  _ messing around.

As a last assertion, he firmly said, “Also it’s _ my _ damn house, asswipes.”

 

With defeated groans from both beaten parties, Stan and Kyle dragged their sleeping bags over, but not without one last parting shot. After sharing dirty looks with one another, Kyle pointed at the space between Craig and Tweek’s sleeping arrangement, demanding to know why that option - away from Stan - was unavailable. Again, he was met with the same candid response. If anything, it irritated Craig, evident by the displeased scowl and his hand seeking Tweek’s. Kyle’s request was off limits.

“Because I want to hold my boyfriend’s hand, dickbag,” Craig retorted, annoyance growing in his voice. “And staring into your other half’s eyes builds a connection between two people or some shit,  _ just _ -”

A gentle pressure against his hand caught his attention and he peered over at Tweek, silenced by the sight. Widened, teary eyes and a quivering lip tugged into a smile. Craig’s words had clearly struck a chord with his cute little honey monster.

Craig softened, unable to stay made in the sight of his adorable Tweekie. He returned the gesture with a reassuring hand squeeze of his own, aware that the negative atmosphere would not help his nervous disposition. He sighed.

“Park your asses down and sleep on it.  _ Just _ … sleep on it.”

 

x x x

 

Admittedly, Craig did have an ulterior motive for inviting the bickering twosome to the sleepover. The fracture in their friendship, believe it or not, had consequences. Strange happenings were a daily occurrence in South Park and in those raised tides of insanity, the boy in blue observed one crucial detail.

That Stan and Kyle were normally the voices of reason and since their friendship broke apart, the equilibrium was disturbed (more than usual) and this (most horrifyingly of all) enabled Eric Theodore Cartman. 

Though the two were hardly Paragons of Virtue all the time, they seemed to have a natural talent for restoring balance to a hysterical and frightening town when things went sour, topping off the experience with a heartwarming lesson that all could benefit from.

Things were much harder now, the two fought like cat and dog, and with everything an absolute mess these days, that stressed out his Tweek. That simply could not be allowed to pass.

As Craig held Tweek’s hand, pleased that the earplugs he provided the sleeping boy ensured him a good night’s rest, he listened. He caught snippets of the conversation, passed through clenched teeth and lowered aggressive tones.

“...don’t even _ start, _ Kyle.”

Craig smirked. Let the healing begin.

 

x x x

 

Behind Tweek, Stan and Kyle glared hard at each other, those angry eyes glinting in the dark. This showdown had been long coming, after what felt like years of bitterness and resentment that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Thanks to Craig’s invitation, former best friends found themselves side by side, clearly itching to take a shot at the other boy. It did not take long, back and forth like an angry game of tennis, and the ball was back in Broflovski’s court.

“You treat me like crap, for months, and now you’re deciding to play nice?  _ Fuck  _ that.”

The red head’s hostile tone came out harder than he meant, and Stan turned his head cautiously, half expecting Tweek to have been disturbed by it. Thankfully, it didn’t. Satisfied that Craig wasn’t awake to kick their asses for disturbing his boyfriend, Stan reclined once more, shooting Kyle a hard look.

“You wanna wake them up, Kyle? Is that what you want?” Kyle dismissive tut only egged Stan further. “Or do you like an audience when you’re being a self-righteous _ prick? _ ” 

Gritting his teeth, Kyle growled. “ _ I’m _ the prick? That’s rich coming from you, you fair weather piece of sh-”

“A -  _ what? _ ” Classic confused Stanley Marsh.

Kyle hissed. “ _ It means you’re a shit friend, Stan! _ ”

A warning cough was followed by a brief spell of silence, then Stan hit back, unable to help himself. “Yeah, well, after this stupid sleepover, you can find a friend who cares when you and Cartman keep stirring shit every week.”

Oh. It was on. Kyle spat out his own retort, clearly done. “ _ Fine! And maybe I’ll find a friend who’ll actually back me up the next time Fatass is a racist, bigoted asshole! _ ”

“Whatever.”

In synchronised annoyance, Stan and Kyle turned their backs on one another, fuming from the conflict. Awkward silence reigned with the exception of worried gerbil sounds and a sympathetic whimper from Tweek, emotionally attuned to his furry little baby.

Stan knew this whole sleepover was a bad idea and this only proved it. Being stuck with a pissed off Kyle in a confined space was the absolute worst, especially when he felt he was in the right.  He sighed, attempting to close his eyes and forget the whole thing, about maybe trying to reconcile and offer an olive branch, but the animosity showed there was still too much water under the bridge.

‘We’ll never be friends again,’ Stan thought, surprised by the sense of mourning he felt. ‘It’s over.’

The quietness that descended was short lived, as a small voice broke from Kyle’s sleeping bag.

 

“...You  _ hurt _ me, Stan.”

 

Stan didn’t even have to look. He knew Kyle for too long to recognise the hurt in his voice. His blue eyes widened, clarity dawning. Unable to resist, Stan sat up, staring at the trembling sleeping bag beside him.  In the quiet of the night, away from the negative distractions, Stan slowly came to the realisation of just how broken his bond with Kyle was. The two wallowed in the misery of their own loss, struggling to deal with these mature emotions after a lifetime of having the support and strength of each other.

When Stan finally spoke, his voice held a quiet vulnerability. “...What happened to us?”

Kyle sniffed. “I don’t know, dude. South Park sucks, Stan. It’s always sucked and when I don’t have my best friend to help deal with the suckage, that…” A shaky breath left his quivering lips and he knew he felt pathetic, but it was coming out now and he couldn’t stop. “...sucks. It really fucking sucks.”

There was a moment of respite, mutual understanding setting in, before Kyle continued.

“Ever since the stuff with Heidi, it just really hit home. Like, how bad things have gotten. The place has gotten worse, Stan, and I don’t know what to do. Everything feels rotten and I tried to be a good person and look what happened. And when I lost you, I thought…” He shrugged, still too afraid to turn around and face Stan, to reveal his red eyes. His last words came out as a quiet sob. “...what’s the point?”

Stan frowned, his blue eyes filled with sadness. ”Kyle, don’t say that.”

Finally, Kyle turned around, revealing wet green eyes and flushed freckled cheeks. “It’s true, dude. There’s no good endings anymore, it just keeps going and nothing’s the same. Stan, I can’t do this alone anymore.”

Blown away by the Kyle pouring his heart out, Stan knew they both had to sort this out. As bad as things got, seeing his friend like this was not what he wanted. He remembered all the great memories he shared with the other boy in South Park, deciding he couldn’t throw all that away.

Not after all they had been through together.

When Stan failed to respond, Kyle flustered, feeling embarrassed. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m the only one who -”

“No,” Stan interjected, sympathetic to his plight. “You’re not.” A beat. “I’m sorry, Kyle.”

“I’m sorry too, Stan,” Kyle immediately offered back.

Stan held his fist out and Kyle met it with a gentle bump of his own. They shared their first genuine smiles in ages, their softened eyes exchanging a whirlwind of emotions they held back until now.

Friendship. Happiness. Relief.

...And a storm they did not quite have the name for quite yet.

 

In an instant, a great divided had begun to mend. Though there was still healing to be done, it was a start towards recovering what they had. All it took was a sleepover and a heart to heart like old times.

“Huh,” Stan whispered, grinning from ear to ear. “Guess Craig was right about the whole ‘sleeping on it’ thing.”

From behind Tweek, like a serpent in the dark, came a hand. Catching sight of the thumbs up that greeted him, Kyle burst into red, the penny dropping. “Oh my God, Craig,  _ seriously?! _ ”

Stan turned, saw what Kyle had seen, then promptly snorted with amusement.

“So,” Craig asked, still giving him the thumbs up of approval because seriously, their breakup had gone on long enough and it was honestly pathetic. “You assholes made up yet?”

Stan and Kyle looked at each other, sharing conspiring smiles, before answering back together, like always.

“Screw you, Craig.”

With a classic flipping the bird, Craig lowered his hand to gently ruffle Tweek’s unruly hair. The sight of his other half sleeping soundly, his normally tense face relaxed, always brought a smile to Craig’s face.

“Told ya, Tweekie,” he whispered to his special little coffee bean. “Everything would work out by the morning.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the BrainSpark Prompt, "Sleep On It." This story really took a life of its own, evolving from what was set to be a "Craig comforting Tweek, advising him to sleep on his troubles" short to a "Stan and Kyle slowly mend their friendship after seasons of being less like friends."
> 
> Stan and Kyle's friendship is one of my favourite elements in South Park, so to celebrate Season 22 dropping tonight, this is a wish fulfilment story. Sadly, for the past few seasons, they sort of drifted apart and even seemed to clash more, so I interpreted that as a falling out.
> 
> There is also a lot of meta thinly disguised as actual story here, which I hope came across okay. The "Pantheon protecting Craig and Tweek?" Fangirls. South Park getting worse and worse with little resolution? Referencing the change in direction, lack of "Learned Something Today" speeches and hard real world topics they've covered (not that the show is getting worse, if anything, it's gotten better.)
> 
> Though I feel the reconciliation was a little rushed, I quite enjoyed writing this as it was initially two separate fic ideas mashed into one. I hope you readers enjoy it and are looking forward to South Park S22 too.


End file.
